Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the most truly recorded culturally-based health system in Nepal. “About 75%-80% of the population of Nepal use Ayurveda and it is the most practiced form of medicine in the country”. The knowledge of Ayurveda was passed down orally for generations, and then eventually recorded as part of the Vedas – the oldest books known on Earth. The Vedas are vast texts that incorporate information on all aspects of society and life – politics, economics, religion, science, mathematics, architecture, and so on. The information on health and longevity is known as “Ayurveda” – the science of life.

Ayurvedic knowledge and practice flourished for several centuries when many of the well-known Ayurvedic texts were written. However, foreign invasions in India resulted in the loss of many of the texts and practices. When India was occupied by the British, Ayurvedic medicine was not supported and instead, western medicine was introduced. Nepal has never been invaded or ruled by foreign forces, so many of the ancient texts survived and Ayurveda was practiced without interruption.

Ayurveda History and Practices in Nepal

Nepal has the highest mountains on earth; the famous sagas, saint and enlightened being have meditated and lived in this land. Due to the unique situation, Nepal’s mountains Longitude and Latitude and strong wind of Nepal has caused thousands of medicinal herbs to grow. Nepal ranks as 9^th among the Asian countries for its floral wealth with an estimated 9,000 species of flowering plants. At present, 6,653 species of flowering plants have been reported from Nepal. There are more than 3,500 medicinal herbs in Nepal. Ayurveda in Nepal always incorporated a person’s spiritual development, with the result that medicine was never limited to isolated aspects of a person or to the prescription of medication. The whole person was always considered from his/her four- dimensionality: body – senses, mind, and soul. 4,000 of the old Sanskrit texts are still extant in Nepal. Experienced and highly knowledgeable Ayurvedic doctors and their team live with all their hearts by the Ayurveda tradition and combine the ancient knowledge of healing with modern concepts. The competence and friendliness of the Nepalese and their highly developed intuitive faculties make all treatment into a beneficial event.

Today, Ayurveda is one of the most discussed topics among foreign visitors and patients with chronic diseases. There are various differences between the basic concepts of modern medical science and Ayurveda. The earliest classical Sanskrit works on Ayurveda describe medical science as being divided into eight components. Ayurveda is totally a life science while modern medical science deals with the treatment of disease. Once Ayurveda was the only science of medicine dealing with 8 parts as; medicine, surgery, pediatrics, ENT, etc.

Today, Ayurveda deals with only that part of knowledge which remained after 2000 years of destruction. Before Buddha’s gyaan of “ahinsa and prem”(NON-VIOLENCE AND LOVE), Ayurvedic surgery was at its golden era; dealing with cosmetic and plastic surgery along with organ transplantation too. The main classical Ayurveda treatises begin with legendary accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge of the Gods to sages, and thence to human physicians.

Nepal, the country which is mostly known to the world as the home of Himalayas, is rarely known for its affiliation with Ayurveda. It is the first nation in the world where Ayurveda is the national medical system (Nepal Ayurveda Health Policy, 1996). Ayurvedic pharmacy, Singha Durbar Vaidyakhana, which was established in the middle of the 17th century, is still in action and the Ayurveda School established in 1928 is producing Ayurveda manpower without a pause. Ayurveda is gaining popularity as a form of alternative healing in Nepal.

Practices of Ayurveda in Nepal.

• Individual Practice

In Nepal, there are many traditional practitioners and healers. They are capable of managing a diversity of health problems with locally available resources. A large number of the population still depends upon these practitioners in rural areas of Nepal. The estimated number of these practitioners in Nepal is around 400,000. This resource is a potential for health service challenges, drug innovation, technological development, conservation of knowledge and practice, economic growth and utilization of local resources.

• Wellness Practice

 Ayurveda wellness can be seen as one of the most visible faces of alternative medicines practiced throughout the world. In Nepal, it has regained its lost ground in mass appeal along with renewed interest for it in the west.

Ayurveda encourages a balanced state of being to support good health. This balanced state includes harmonizing the mind, body, and spirit. Many trekking agencies, hotels, yoga centers, and Ayurveda centers offer wellness package in Nepal.

Ayurveda, yoga and meditation tour are the perfect combination of the Nepal wellness tour with yoga and meditation activities which is the gateway to fitness and ultimate happiness avoiding stress and tension from our lifestyle.

• Clinical Practice

Ayurveda is the most truly recorded culturally-based health system in Nepal. Majority of Nepalese people use Ayurvedic herbs for their livelihood and health issues. In Nepal, there are two types of Ayurvedic hospitals, public and private. Department of Ayurveda under the Health Ministry of Nepal runs, 2 Ayurveda hospitals, 14 zonal Ayurveda dispensaries, 61 districts Ayurveda health centers, and 214 local Ayurveda dispensaries. And also, there are many private sectors Ayurveda hospitals and one government’s pharmaceutical company Singha Durbar Baidhyakhana Vikas Samiti which was established 360 years ago. And also, there are more than 32 private pharmaceutical companies in Nepal (Department of Ayurveda).